To prevent an accident with oncoming traffic, an occupant, such as a passenger or a driver of a vehicle, must carefully check for traffic before opening a door of the vehicle. If the occupant swings the door open into traffic approaching from behind the vehicle, the traffic, such as a pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, or another vehicle, may collide with the door. Occupants are frequently causing collisions by failing to safely open the doors. In fact, due to the frequency and severity of such collisions, a term “dooring” is used to describe accidents caused by opening a vehicle door with traffic from behind the vehicle. Dooring is dangerous and often causes extensive damage to property. Dooring, especially involving motorcycles or bicycles, can even result in death.
Modern vehicles may be equipped with a “dead corner sensor warning system.” The warning system is typically integrated into a side or exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle. The warning system includes a sensor that detects traffic approaching from behind. The warning system provides an optical signal in the exterior rearview mirror or at a location inside the vehicle to warn the occupant of traffic approaching from behind or in a dead corner of the vehicle. Such a warning system, however, is a passive system that detects possible danger and merely provides a warning to the occupant. This warning system does not actively prevent a collision between the opening door and oncoming traffic. In other words, the warning system ultimately relies on the occupant to acknowledge the warning, understand the warning, and restrain from opening the vehicle door into traffic. Additionally, this type of warning system does not alert people outside of the vehicle that the occupant intends to open the door.
A safety system for opening a vehicle door that combines an automatic door locking system and the dead corner warning system to prevent possible collisions between an open vehicle door and oncoming traffic would reduce public cost, prevent accidents, reduce injuries, and even safe lives.